MH 631: Introduction to Musicology
Spring 2005
Dr. Eric Hung
 
Syllabus    |    Library Projects    |    Research Proposal Assignment
Fieldwork Project    |    E-Journal Assignments    |    Blackboard
Eric Hung's Courses    |    Eric Hung's Webpage
 

 

SYLLABUS
 
This syllabus is subject to change.

Class Meetings MWF 10:20 - 11:20am 
E-mail ehung@rider.edu
Phone (609) 921-7100 x8248
Office Hours MWF 9:10-10:10am, W 4:30-5:30pm, or by appointment

Some Aphoristic Thoughts About Musicology
1.  Musicology deals with facts, but is not primarily about facts.
2.  Musicology is primarily concerned with music's effects on people, and people's effects on music.
3.  A good musicological article offers a point of view that is neither obvious nor really far-fetched.
4.  A good musicologist is one who asks the right questions.

Goals
1.  Through the library projects, students in this course should gain a working knowledge of the basic tools used by music researchers.
2.  Through the "What is Musicology?" lectures, assigned readings, e-journal entries, and class discussion, students in this course should gain an overview of the types of questions that musicologists ask.  For the sake of unity, all assigned readings discuss some aspect of popular music.  However, the types of questions asked by these popular music scholars can be applied to any repertory of music.  Hopefully, these readings will give you some ideas for your own Fieldwork Project and Research Proposal Assignment.
3.  The Research Proposal Assignment will give students some experience in planning a major research project in music.
4.  The Fieldwork Project will give students some experience in two major research methods:  interviews and participant/observation.
 
Texts
The only text is the Course Reader.  Please buy it at the bookstore and bring it to each class.  The "split assignments" are on reserve in Talbott Library.  There are no required listening or viewing assignments for this course.  However, you should have some familiarity with the music about which you read.  You will find recordings of most of the songs that are discussed at length on reserve in Talbott Library.
Workload 
The national standard for academic university courses is this:  to earn an “adequate” grade (C), the average student needs to spend three hours each week for each hour of credit.  Since this is a three-credit course, the average student would need to spend nine hours a week (three in class and six outside class) on this course to earn a C.  If you are an average student and want to earn an A or B, you might very well need to work more than nine hours a week.  If you are spending nine or more hours a week on this course, but are not earning appropriate grades, please talk to me.  We can devise study techniques that might help you achieve better results.
 
Assignments
Library Projects (5 Projects, 5% each)
 25%
Research Proposal Assignment (Outline = 3%, Draft = 12%, 2500-word Proposal = 15%)
 30%
Fieldwork Project (Proposal = 3%, Presentation = 7%, 2000-word Paper = 10%)
 20%
E-Journal (at least ten 200-word entries) and Class Participation 25%
To help the class run smoothly, there will be a few opportunities for "extra credit" assignments throughout the semester.  Each student can earn up to 5% of their final grade on these "extra credit" assignments.

A=94+, A-=90-93.9, B+=87-89.9, B=84-86.9, B-=80-83.9, C+=77-79.9, C=74-76.9, C-=70-73.9, F=69.9 or lower

E-mail and Blackboard Requirement
Blackboard is an important component of the course.  Lecture notes, discussion questions, review sheets and student presentations will be posted there.  Since Blackboard and e-mail are the only ways for me to contact you outside class, all students are required to check the announcement page on Blackboard and their Rider e-mail account each weekend. 
 
Disability 
If you need accommodations because of a disability, please talk to me as soon as possible.  I need at least one week’s notice for test accommodations.
 
Academic Honesty
All students must abide by the “Code of Academic Conduct.”  This code is available in the “Academic Guidelines” section of The Source (available from http://www.rider.edu/portalcurrent/currmain.htm).  Failure to abide by this code will result in severe penalties.  Common infractions of the “Code of Academic Conduct” include:
Incompletes
Incompletes will be granted only in extreme situations, such as serious illness and severe family emergency. 
 
Course Schedule
 PART I:  Historiography
Wed., Jan. 12 Course Introduction
Assign Library Project #1—Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
Fri., Jan. 14
 No Class; Work on Library Project #1
Mon., Jan. 17 No Class; Work on Library Project #1
Wed., Jan. 19 Go Over Library Project #1 {Hand in Library Project #1}
Lecture:  What is Musicology?  Part 1—Approaches to Studying Music
Fri., Jan. 21
 Lecture:  What is Musicology?  Part 2—Historiography
Popular Music Historiography 1a:  Theodor W. Adorno, "On Popular Music" {Post E-Journal Entry #1 before 9am}
Mon., Jan. 24 Popular Music Historiography 1b:  Theodor W. Adorno, "On Popular Music"
Assign Library Project #2—Library Catalogs, Databases, and the Internet
Wed., Jan. 26 Ensemble Day—No Class
Fri., Jan. 28
 Ensemble Day—No Class
Mon., Jan. 31 Popular Music Historiography 2a:  William Brooks, "On Being Tasteless" {Post E-Journal Entry #2 before 9am}
Wed., Feb. 2 Popular Music Historiography 2b:  William Brooks, "On Being Tasteless"
Go Over Library Project #2 {Hand in Library Project #2}
Assign Library Project #3—Histories
Fri., Feb. 4
 No Class; Work on Library Project #3
Mon., Feb. 7 Popular Music Historiography 3a:  Allan F. Moore, "Issues in Theory" {Post E-Journal Entry #3 before 9am}
Wed., Feb. 9 Popular Music Historiography 3b:  Allan F. Moore, "Issues in Theory"
Go Over Library Project #3 {Hand in Library Project #3}



PART II:  Introduction to Fieldwork, Analysis

Fri., Feb. 11
 Lecture:  What is Musicology?  Part 3—Analysis
Introduction to Fieldwork Assignment
Mon., Feb. 14 Lecture:  Fieldwork Basics
Wed., Feb. 16 Pitfalls/Issues in Fieldwork: Split Assignment Presentations {Post E-Journal Entry #4 before 9am}
Fri., Feb. 18
 Pitfalls/Issues in Fieldwork: Split Assignment Presentations
Mon., Feb. 21 Popular Music Analysis 1a: John Covach, "Progressive Rock, 'Close to the Edge,' and the Boundaries of Style" {Post E-Journal Entry #5 before 9am}
Wed., Feb. 23 Popular Music Analysis 1b: John Covach, "Progressive Rock, 'Close to the Edge,' and the Boundaries of Style
Assign Library Project #4—Subject Bibliographies and Thematic Catalogs
Fri., Feb. 25
 Popular Music Analysis 2a: Peter Winkler, "Writing Ghost Notes: The Poetics and Politics of Transcription" {Post E-Journal Entry #6 before 9am}
Mon., Feb. 28 Popular Music Analysis 2b: Peter Winkler, "Writing Ghost Notes: The Poetics and Politics of Transcription"
Wed., Mar. 2 Go Over Library Assignment #4 {Hand in Library Assignment #4, including fieldwork project proposal}
Assign Library Project #5—RISM
Fri., Mar. 4
 Introduce Research Proposal Assignment
Mon., Mar. 7 Popular Music Analysis 3a: Robert Fink, "Elvis Everywhere: Musicology and Popular Music Studies at the Twilight of the Canon" {Post E-Journal Entry #7 before 9am}
Wed., Mar. 9
 Popular Music Analysis 3b: Robert Fink, "Elvis Everywhere: Musicology and Popular Music Studies at the Twilight of the Canon"
Fri., Mar. 11
 Go Over Library Project #5 {Hand in Library Assignment #5, including one-paragraph outline of Research Proposal}
Check in on Research Proposal Assignment
Mon., Mar. 14
 Spring Break—No Class
Wed., Mar. 16
 Spring Break—No Class
Fri., Mar. 18
 Spring Break—No Class


PART III:  "Sociomusicology"

Mon., Mar. 21 Check in on Fieldwork Project
Lecture:  What is Musicology?  Part 4—Music and Culture
Wed., Mar. 23 Popular Music Sociomusicology 1: Susan McClary, "This is not a Story My People Tell: Musical Time and Space According to Laurie Anderson" and "Living to Tell: Madonna's Resurrection of the Fleshly" {Post E-Journal Entry #8 before 9am}
Fri., Mar. 25
 Good Friday—No Class
Mon., Mar. 28 Ensemble Week—No Class
Wed., Mar. 30 Ensemble Week—No Class
Fri., Apr. 1
 Ensemble Week—No Class
Mon., Apr. 4 Popular Music Sociomusicology 2a: Steve Waksman, "Black Sound, Black Body: Jimi Hendrix, the Electric Guitar and the Meanings of Blackness" {Post E-Journal Entry #9 before 9am}
Wed., Apr. 6 Popular Music Sociomusicology 2b: Steve Waksman, "Black Sound, Black Body: Jimi Hendrix, the Electric Guitar and the Meanings of Blackness"
Final Check in on Fieldwork Project
Fri., Apr. 8
 Popular Music Sociomusicology 3a: Nadine Hubbs, "Music of the 'Fourth Gender': Morrissey and the Sexual Politics of Melodic Contour" {Post E-Journal Entry #10 before 9am}
Mon., Apr. 11 Popular Music Sociomusicology 3b: Nadine Hubbs, "Music of the 'Fourth Gender': Morrissey and the Sexual Politics of Melodic Contour"
Wed., Apr. 13
 Check in on Research Proposal {Hand in drafts of the "Literature Review" and "Bibliography" Portions of Your Research Proposal}
Fri., Apr. 15
 Popular Music Sociomusicology 4a: Richard Peterson, Excerpts from Creating Country Music: Fabricating Authenticity {Post E-Journal Entry #11 before 9am}
Mon., Apr. 18
 Popular Music Sociomusicology 4b: Richard Peterson, Excerpts from Creating Country Music: Fabricating Authenticity
Wed., Apr. 20
 Popular Music Sociomusicology 5a: Ian Condry, "A History of Japanese Hip-Hop: Street Dance, Club Scene, Pop Market" and Steven Feld, "The Poetics and Politics of Pygmy Pop" {Post E-Journal Entry #12 before 9am; Hand in Fieldwork Project Paper}
Fri., Apr. 22
 Popular Music Sociomusicology 5b: Ian Condry, "A History of Japanese Hip-Hop: Street Dance, Club Scene, Pop Market" and Steven Feld, "The Poetics and Politics of Pygmy Pop"

 

PART IV:  Fieldwork Project Presentations

Mon., Apr. 25
 Fieldwork Project Presentations
Wed., Apr. 27
 Fieldwork Project Presentations
Fri., Apr. 29
 Fieldwork Project Presentations
Mon., May 2
 Fieldwork Project Presentations {Hand in Research Proposal}
Final
 Fieldwork Project Presentations

Last Updated: January 4, 2004